Tuesday, July 4, 2023

An update from President Goel

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

As we return to campus after the long weekend it is important that we reflect upon the tragic event of last week. We cannot go on as if nothing has changed following that horrific hate-filled attack. A professor and two students were brutally stabbed, and an entire class was terrorized, simply because of the subject that was being taught. The attack forever changed the lives of those directly assaulted. We wish each of them the best as they recover, and we support them in their healing. While their physical wounds may heal quickly, we know that the emotional impact will be with them for the rest of their lives.  

I appreciate the support that colleagues in the Faculty of Arts have provided for everyone involved. This week, Philosophy 202/Gender and Social Justice 222 will continue and colleagues will support students as they return to class. While not everyone may wish to, or choose to continue with the course, it is essential that the offering remain in place. I recognize that it will be difficult for Gender and Social Justice, Philosophy, and other instructors who teach about gender issues to return to the classroom. We will continue to consider appropriate security on our campuses and in our classrooms. Our values of openness and inclusion enable an environment of free expression and dialogue.

There are many issues that we must grapple with as a community as we move forward.  

1. We are engaging in a comprehensive review of our emergency response and communications systems, including the protocols around the use of the WatSAFE app.
2. We will consult with the community on how to best ensure physical safety in an environment that remains collegial and non-discriminatory. Specifically, many of the tools that would enhance safety such as controlled access to buildings, closed-circuit cameras, ID badges and additional security can also have unintended or unwanted impacts on some or all members of the community. 
3. We know that members of our community will need time and support as they process the events of last week. In addition to the supports which have already been shared, Campus Wellness is facilitating three virtual healing spaces this week for students, followed by in-person options. Details about the virtual spaces will be shared today via the University’s social media accounts. We know that faculty members and staff need additional supports too. In consultation with Faculties, Human Resources and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism, we will examine ways in which we can provide such supports. I appreciate that many in the Waterloo community have taken on tasks well outside the scope of their usual duties since Wednesday, giving support to those directly affected, being an ear for colleagues and students who need someone to listen and reaching out when and where they can to ensure that there is always connection.
4. We need to consider how we best support students to ensure they are able to thrive and succeed. In recent years, considerable work has been done through the Committee on Student Mental Health, the Student Experience Review, and the development of the Waterloo Student Engagement and Experience (WatSEE) Framework. However, much more needs to be done in order to ensure that every student has access to, and benefits from, the resources that are available and is able to take part in our educational and community activities in a manner that supports their personal well-being. 
5. We should also consider how we can ensure that all our students have an opportunity to learn and be engaged in activities that allow them to become citizens who respect humanity. It is that humanity which creates the richness of experience that our community offers. We must ensure that everyone understands that while they are free to express their views, it must be done in a way which respects the safety and well-being of everyone. There is no room on our campuses for hate or violence in any form. 

I know that in the days and weeks to come there will be other issues identified that we will need to work on together. We remain committed to engaging with the community and keeping you informed of the actions that are being taken. 

Waterloo will put its money where its mouth is with VC fund investment

This is an excerpt of an article published on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo will become the first post-secondary institution in Canada to invest from its endowment into a venture capital (VC) fund launched by the team behind its affiliated startup incubator. 

Waterloo’s Board of Governors recently approved an investment of up to $5 million into the Velocity Fund II (VFII), a new, for-profit VC fund operated independently by general partners Ross Robinson and Akash Vaswani which was spun out of Waterloo’s Velocity incubator. 

“At Waterloo we have always taken pride in our unconventional spirit. This approach to supporting entrepreneurs in our ecosystem – many of whom study at Waterloo – is just another example of how we are doing things differently,” said Dr. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “We know that the University’s investment in the talent in our region will be returned, and we are excited to support these founders as they tackle some of the most pressing issues in our society.” 

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News

Senior administrators begin administrating

Saturday, July 1 marked the beginning of a number of senior leadership, academic, and administrative terms of office. Among the administrators taking up their mantles this July:

Dr. Chris Houser joins the University of Waterloo as the Dean of the Faculty of Science for a five-year term. Professor Houser completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at the University of Guelph and earned his PhD in geography from the University of Toronto. He served as an assistant professor at the University of West Florida from 2004-2007, moving to Texas A&M University, College of Geosciences in 2007, where he was appointed as full professor in 2016 before joining the University of Windsor in 2016 as dean of Science and professor in the School of Environment. Houser succeeds professor Bob Lemieux, who has served as dean since July 2015. 

At the Associate Dean level, Dr. Marina Mourtzakis of Kinesiology and Health Sciences started as Associate Dean, Research, in the Faculty of Health for a three-year term, Dr. Cecilia Cotton starts as Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty of Mathematics, Dr. Christine Barbeau begins a term as Associate Dean, Teaching in the Faculty of Environment, Dr. Sue Ann Campbell starts as Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Mathematics, and Dr. Anna Esselment is reappointed as Associate Dean, Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

There are many chairs around the academic table, so to speak, and taking a seat as of June 1 are Dr. Kathryn Plaisance, Chair of the Department of Knowledge Integration for a term running to June 30, 2027, and Dr. Hans De Sterck, who will chair the Department of Applied Mathematics for a term that ends June 30, 2027.

Dr. Anders Bergstrom starts as Associate Chair, Undergraduate Students in the Department of Communications Arts for a term that runs until June 30, 2025. Dr. Jen Clary-Lemon, starts as Associate Chair, Graduate Studies in the Department of English Language and Literature, for a term that runs until June 30, 2026, Dr. Steve Drekic begins working as Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies in Statistics and Actuarial Science for a term ending June 30, 2025, while Dr. Gregory Rice starts as Associate Chair, Graduate Studies in Statistics and Actuarial Science for a term ending June 30, 2026. Dr. Jeff Wilson begins a term as Associate Chair, Graduate Studies in the Department of Religious Studies for a term running until June 30, 2026.

A number of reappointments also go into effect as of July 1, including Dr. Andrew Houston, associate chair, Undergraduate, Theatre and Performance/CDAP in the Department of Communication Arts (for a term running until June 30, 2025), Dr. Tim Paci, associate chair, Undergraduate Communication Outcomes Initiatives, Department of Communications Arts, (until June 30, 2025), Dr. Kevin Lamb, associate chair, Graduate Studies in the Department of Applied Mathematics (until June 30, 2024), and Dr. Phil Curry, associate chair, Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics, for a term running to June 30, 2025.

On the research side of things, the newly-minted University Research Chairs include:

• Dr. Krzysztof Czarnecki (electrical and computer engineering);
• Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick (public health sciences);
• Dr. Lap Chi Lau (computer science);
• Dr. Simron Singh (environment, enterprise, and development);
• Dr. Solomon Tesfamariam (civil and environmental engineering);
• Dr. Chris Yakymchuk (earth and environmental sciences); and
• Dr. David Blowes (earth and environmental sciences)

Not all academic appointments line up perfectly with the July 1 start date. Beginning their terms on May 1 were Dr. John Johnston in Earth and Environmental Sciences, who was appointed as Associate Chair, Undergraduate for a 3 year term; Dr. Stephanie Denison, appointed Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology; Dr. Mohamed-Yahia Dabbagh, appointed Director of Academic Integrity, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for a term ending December 31, 2023; Dr. Jordan Hamilton, Assistant Dean, Core and Service Teaching, Mathematics Undergraduate Office, for a term ending April 30, 2026; Dr. Sean Speziale, appointed Director, Mathematics Undergraduate Group, fpr a term ending April 30, 2026, Dr. Sarah Meunier, who was appointed Director, First Year Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, for a term that runs until April 30, 2026; Dr. Mark Hancock, who was reappointed Interim Chair, Department of Management Sciences, until December 31, 2023; and Dr. Tammy Labreche, appointed Clinic Director, School of Optometry and Vision Science, for a term running to August 8, 2023.

Have a missed an important academic or administrative appointment? Please send a message to bulletin@uwaterloo.ca and I will update the list.

GreenHouse announces spring term winners of the Social Impact Fund

A message from United College’s GreenHouse.

The Social Impact Showcase celebrates the amazing work that GreenHouse students have accomplished throughout their social innovation journeys. This term, 11 teams pitched and 7 were awarded funding to support their ventures from the Social Impact Fund, established by United College. We celebrated our 29^th Social Impact Showcase at the SDG Idea Factory in Downtown Kitchener thanks to the support of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation.

And the winners are…

• KaziBridge, awarded $1,500, is connecting trade school graduates to businesses and individuals seeking quality service and is led by Ernest Mwesigye and Chinazom Uwaoma (Faculty of Engineering);
• Masana Beauty, awarded $1,500, is designing a self-cleansing makeup brush to help solve skin issues from the root cause and is led by Neha Grewal (Faculty of Engineering);
• Turion, awarded $1,500, is replacing corn-based bioethanol with a duckweed alternative and is led by Mulei Mao (Faculty of Engineering);
• MetaCycler BioInnovations, awarded $5,000, is converting food waste into bioplastics and is led by Nicole LeBlanc (Faculty of Science);
• Bio-Brick Labs, awarded $5,000, is developing and manufacturing environmentally sustainable building materials and is led by Adrian Simone and Rania Al-Sheikhly (Faculty of Engineering); and
• Swish, awarded $5,000, is developing a cost-effective product to clean solar panels without the use of water or expensive cleaning robots and is led by Miswar Syed (Faculty of Engineering).

A record 1,800+ community members also voted in the People’s Choice Awards and selected Real Research, led by Ria Menon (Faculty of Science), as the winner of an additional $1,000 to provide undergraduate students with valuable research experience.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Spring 2023 Social Impact Showcase and thank you to all the support from the University of Waterloo community. We look forward to future celebrations as we recognize our ten-year anniversary this fall!